Paintbar Nail Bar – Raleigh, North Carolina

Pink is a polarizing colour. Everyone has a reaction to it. While you haven’t seen much pink on these pages in the past decade, we are all for fairy tale princesses, baby girls and cupcakes.

But we have a strong reaction to the kind of chalky, cold (yes, pink can be cold), dead pink that reminds us of digestive medication, or worse. And strangely, that is the kind of pink that tends to be overused. As if it were impossible to stop once you start using it. Tacky.

So, let’s just say it takes a lot to impress us with a pink interiors. Especially pink beauty parlour interiors. Full marks, therefore to MA Allen Interiors of Raleigh, North Carolina, for their subtly elegant work on PaintBar Nail Bar’s first salon, also in Raleigh.

The powdery, soft, peachy pinks, the coppery golds, warm greys and calming white evoke a feel of luxury and serenity. The designers are skilfully not overdoing the pink. It’s just enough. And that is an art in itself with any colour, but especially with the polarizing pink. Tuija Seipell.